meagerness
gər adjective
1.
deficient in quantity or quality; lacking fullness or richness; scanty; inadequate: a meager salary; meager fare; a meager harvest.
2.
having little flesh; lean; thin: a body meager with hunger.
3.
Also, especially British, mea·gre.
Origin:
1300–50; Middle English megre < Old French maigre < Latin macer lean
1300–50; Middle English megre < Old French maigre < Latin macer lean
Related forms
mea·ger·ly, adverb
mea·ger·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To meagerness
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Meagerness
is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
meagre or meager (ˈmiːɡə) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | deficient in amount, quality, or extent |
| 2. | thin or emaciated |
| 3. | lacking in richness or strength |
| [C14: from Old French maigre,from Latin macer lean, poor] | |
| meager or meager | |
| —adj | |
| [C14: from Old French maigre,from Latin macer lean, poor] | |
| 'meagrely or meager | |
| —adv | |
| 'meagerly or meager | |
| —adv | |
| 'meagreness or meager | |
| —n | |
| 'meagerness or meager | |
| —n | |
| meagre or meager (ˈmiːɡə) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | deficient in amount, quality, or extent |
| 2. | thin or emaciated |
| 3. | lacking in richness or strength |
| [C14: from Old French maigre,from Latin macer lean, poor] | |
| meager or meager | |
| —adj | |
| [C14: from Old French maigre,from Latin macer lean, poor] | |
| 'meagrely or meager | |
| —adv | |
| 'meagerly or meager | |
| —adv | |
| 'meagreness or meager | |
| —n | |
| 'meagerness or meager | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
meager
c.1300, "lean, thin, emaciated" (of persons or animals), from O.Fr. megre, maigre, from L. macrum (nom. macer) "lean, thin," from PIE *makro- (see macro-). Of material things (land, food, etc.) from 1501.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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